IRS targeting conservative groups 'outrageous,' those responsible should be held accountable: Obama

President Obama is facing demands to apologize and intervene in a growing scandal over U.S. tax collectors targeting his right-wing political opponents for excessive scrutiny in the run-up to the last general election.

Republicans have seized on the scandal, which emerged after conservative grass-roots Tea Party groups complained they were being subjected to spurious inquiries over their tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Although there is no suggestion that Mr. Obama or the White House knew about the IRS tactics, several leading conservatives said the practices had disturbing echoes of Richard Nixon using the IRS to audit and harass his political enemies.

“It is absolutely chilling that the IRS was singling out conservative groups for extra review and I think that it’s very disappointing that the president hasn’t personally condemned this and spoken out,” said Susan Collins, the Republican senator for Maine.

Mr. Obama said Monday that the political targeting of conservatives was “outrageous,” but did not offer an apology. “If you have got the IRS operating in anything less than a fully neutral and non-partisan way then that is outrageous, it is contrary to our traditions and people have to be held accountable,” he said, adding that he knew nothing of the agency’s action until news broke on Friday.

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The Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was “inappropriate” targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.

IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their exemption applications, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

“I will not tolerate it and we will make sure we find out exactly what happened.”

The conduct of the IRS has been condemned by Democrats and Republicans and threatens to be a major distraction to the Obama administration. Several congressional committees have promised investigations, including the powerful ways and means committee.

Conservative commentators were doing their best to tie the scandal back to Mr Obama.

“I’d be shocked if the White House told the IRS to do it,” wrote Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary for George W. Bush and CNN political pundit. “But when Obama vilifies Tea Party and VP [vice-president Biden] likens them to terrorists, bureaucrats follow the culture.”

The IRS has apologised, claiming that a small number of low-level employees in Ohio were responsible, but that has not satisfied Republicans who are demanding Mr. Obama sack the IRS leadership.

I’d be shocked if the White House told the IRS to do it. But when Obama vilifies Tea Party and VP [vice-president Biden] likens them to terrorists, bureaucrats follow the culture

The Tea Party Patriots groups rejected the apology and demanded further investigations. “It appears the IRS committed crimes and violated our ability to exercise our First Amendment right to free speech,” a spokesman said.

Marco Rubio, the Republican senator for Florida and potential presidential candidate in 2016, agreed, demanding the administration sack the organisation’s head immediately.

“It is clear the IRS cannot operate with even a shred of the American people’s confidence under the current leadership,” he wrote in a letter to Jack Lew, the U.S. treasury secretary.

“I strongly urge that you and President Obama demand the IRS commissioner’s resignation.”

Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post journalist whose reporting of the Watergate scandal helped to bring down Richard Nixon, said heads should roll at the IRS, but cited the conservative reaction as an example of the “hyper-ideological” responses to everything paralysing the political process in Washington.